Truck for use in transplanting trees.



No. 783,241. PATENTED FEB. 21, 1905. P. BISS'ET.

TRUCK FOR USE 1N TRANSPLANTING TREES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20', 1904.

NITED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE,

PETER BISSET, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,241, dated February 21, 1905.

Application filed April 20, 1904. Serial No, 204,115.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER BIssE'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Twin Oaks, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trucks for Use in Transplanting Trees, &c. ,of which the following is a specitication.

My invention relates to an improved apparatus or truck for transplanting trees or shrubbery.

In the tree-transplanting trucks heretofore used it has been customary to turn the 'tree over the truck and place it thereon ina tilted or horizontal position. This manner of loading trees necessitates, however, supporting means of a rather complicated nature for the tree, and the tree, resting upon the side of the mass of earth lsurrounding the roots, breaks the earth away from the roots and injures the latter, so that the tree must then be severely cut back. Furthermore, the branches of the tree are likely to be damaged during the turning or while being transported to the place of replanting.

My invention has for its object to provide simple means for loading and unloading the tree and transporting it in a substantially upright position, th us avoiding the disadvantages above described. by the truck illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure l is a side View of my improved truck. Fig. 2 is a top view; and Fig. 3 is a Vertical longitudinal section of a slightlymodiiied embodiment of my invention. i

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, represents the side frames of the truck, terminating in handles B. The side frames A are connected by cross-beams O D and taper toward the front, where their tapering' ends are connected and strengthened by an angle-plate E, preferably of metal. Journaled in the side frames a plurality of antifriction-rollers F are arranged at short intervals. On axle Gr, secured to the bottom of the side frames, wheels H are rotatably arranged. The axle G is secured to the frames near the center of gravity of the entire structure in order that the truck may remain in an inclined position The said object is attained when tilted, as later on referred to. Projecting downwardly from the side frames near the handles are brackets I, bearing casterwheels J. K represents uprights, secured to the rear part of the side frames, in which uprights a windlass-drum L, having crank-handles M, is journaled. To drum L chains N are secured, said chains having hooks O, receiving the loops or rings P of a belt Q. To one end of the truck-for instance, near the handle of the side frames-hooks R are secured for bitching a draft-animal to the truck.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 only the ends of the side frames are tapering, and the wheel-axle Gr I is a so-called drop-axle to permit the use of large wheels without raising the truck to an inconvenient height. The caster-wheels, with their brackets, are replaced by a pair-of wheels S, rotatably secured to axle T, to which the front end of the truck is connected by a king-bolt or fifthwheel. A chain U, secured to the side frames, and a hook V on axle T permit of the said parts beingcoupled together. The axle is connected with the axle G by means of a connecting-rod X.

To operate my device, the truck is tilted on the wheels H and the wedge-shaped front part and supporting-wheels are sunk into the trench that has been dugaround the tree to be transplanted. The front edge of the angle-plate E is brought in touch with the bottom of the trench, andthe belt Q is secured around block of earth surrounding the roots of the tree, and the loops of the belt are Vsecured to the hooks of the windlass-chain. By gradually i working the free end of the truck and simultaneously pulling the belt by operating the crank-handles M the tree is made to slide upwardly on the inclined plane, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The sliding is greatly facilitated by the-antifriction-rollers F, on which the tree partly or completely rests. NVhen the tree approaches the center of gravity or the axle G, the truck is tilted to the horizontal position, and the transport can now take place. The tree can then be conveyed to the place of replanting or disposal, whether by pushing or drawing the truck by means of the handles B, or, if the tree is very heavy, by

hitching a draft-animal to the truck, in which case the traces are secured in the hooks R and the operator guides the truck through the handles B. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 the truck, after being righted, is secured to the front gear by the detachable king-pin and conveyance takes place by hitching an animal in the thills. The unloading of the tree is eifected in the reverse manner.

I Wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction shown and described, as I may make various modiiications Without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim- A transplanting-truck comprising a' iiat bed having one end tapered to an edge, antifriction-rollers having their journals on the bed below the upper surface thereof, a pair of proximately parallel to the upper plane of the bed, a band adapted to pass around the ball of the plant to be transplanted, and Winding connections between the ends of the band and the Windlass.

The foregoing specification signed this 9th day of April, 1904;.

PETER BIssET.

In presence ofv EDWIN S. CLARKsoN, JN0. R. ADAMS. 

